Clarence Bozeman is a retired teacher and high school principal living in Maple Heights.

He grew up in Alabama and while studying at Alabama State University in the late 1950’s, his job was to drive the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to his appointments. That pastor was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Bozeman spent many hours driving the back roads of Alabama with King, talking about the ongoing civil rights movement, and the challenges of fighting segregation.

He’ll share his stories tomorrow night on the Kent State campus, but he sat down with me to share his stories of those years and one secret Dr. King shared with him on one long drive.
Jeff St. Clair reports

Canton’s civic choral group known as VOCI is heading to the National Gallery of Art next month to mark the end of the Civil War. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on the music that ties Canton to Washington – and to America 150 years ago.
M.L. Schultze reports

While several Democratic members of Congress skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech today, there are also guests who’ve traveled to Capitol Hill to hear it. Among them: Gov. John Kasich and state Treasurer Josh Mandel.

University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven says both Republicans may be sending a message to an international audience and to big political donors that they’re friends of Israel.
Karen Kasler reports

The major renovation of Cleveland’s Public Square starts next Monday. And Heather Holmes of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance says beginning that morning, traffic will be closed off in that area until the project is finished in 2016.
Kevin Niedermier reports

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is suing oil and gas giant BP for more than $33 million. DeWine says BP double-dipped, getting money from both insurance and from a state fund to clean up underground gas storage tanks.
Jo Ingles reports

The group that wants to work out the rough spots of the Towpath Trail through Akron took its first slippery steps downtown this afternoon. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on the three-day planning process that’s expected to include at least $200,000 in improvements.
M.L. Schultze reports

The family of Tamir Rice feels they’ve been disrespected by the city of Cleveland’s response to the civil suit over the 12-year-old's fatal shooting by police. And as WKSU’s Kevin Niedermier reports, their attorneys say they have evidence that the officer fired sooner than police have asserted.
Kevin Niedermier reports

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week unveils the first exhibit dedicated to the rock photography of Herb Ritts, who photographed some of the most famous names in music starting in the late 1970s. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports.
Kabir Bhatia reports

Cleveland City Council has a little more than four weeks to consider and pass the budget proposed by Mayor Frank Jackson.

Councilman Zach Reed believes the mayor’s budget does little to alleviate the problem of violence in the city. Reed says Cleveland needs to switch from a public safety or community relations approach to a health-care model.
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The Ohio House is considering a list of reforms aimed at cracking down on bad charter schools and the companies that manage them. Meanwhile, one charter is getting support from a recently retired legislator. Mark Urycki of State Impact Ohio reports.
Mark Urycki reports

Ohio’s unemployment is down and numbers from the state show the economy is recovering from 2008 levels. But the leader of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks says a new report shows there are two Ohios. Lisa Hamler- Fugitt says there is one where people are doing well and the other where they can’t make ends meet.
Jo Ingles reports

Northeast Ohio’s most abundant resource may make the region a center for a next big thing in high tech -- ”water tech.” WKSU’s Tim Rudell reports on Akron becoming home to an international “Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project.”
Tim Rudell reports

The state is suing a now-defunct Cleveland charter school for the more than $2 million it says was channeled to a church, businesses and individuals associated with the school. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze reports.
M.L. Schultze reports

The postal workers union has launched a website urging the community to speak out against the closing of four mail-sorting facilities in Northeast Ohio. The Akron center is one of them and is set to close in April. This closure is expected to affect 248 people. Regional Postal Service spokesman David Van Allen says no one will lose his or her job as a result.
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The United Steelworkers union is awaiting word this week on exactly how many hundreds of people will be at least temporarily laid off in Lorain. WKSU’s M.L. Schultze has more on the continuing impact of the soft steel pipe market.
M.L. Schultze reports

It’s still unclear whether Cleveland casino owner Dan Gilbert will build the expanded casino on the Cuyahoga River he promised. Gilbert recently acquired full ownership of his Ohio gaming facilities from the struggling Caesars’ casino empire. He told WKYC that this makes it easier to plan and eventually build the new casino, but he made no promises on when it might happen.

Libraries throughout Northeast Ohio are celebrating National Read Across America Day today on what would have been Dr. Seuss’ birthday. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports on the legacy of the children's author.
Kabir Bhatia reports

It’s one of those things that you don’t pay attention to until something goes wrong. Swallowing is a basic human function that can have serious complications for some people, from preemie babies to elderly adults.

In this week’s Exploradio, WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair meets a researcher at the Northeast Ohio Medical University who’s studying how to retrain the brain to overcome problems with swallowing.
Jeff St. Clair reports

Minnie Minoso – “The Cuban Comet” -- died Sunday, reportedly at age 90. Although he’s best-known for his 12 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, he took his first at-bats in the majors with the Cleveland Indians. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia reports.
Kabir Bhatia reports

Gov. John Kasich’s proposed increase in the tax on oil and gas drillers may be a hard sell to his fellow Republicans who run the Legislature. They’ve rejected his previous attempts to hike that tax, which he wants to use to pay for income tax cuts. Rep. John Becker of Cincinnati is among those opposed for now, but says he’d be on board with a limited form of an increase in the tax on drillers.
Karen Kasler reports

For the past month, local arts and cultural organizations have been busy telling stories about African-American history. But some Ohio artists and cultural leaders find Black History Month to be a double-edged sword. For Ohio Public Radio, WCPN's David C. Barnett reports.
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The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ruled against a proposal from electric utility AEP to pay for two coal plants. Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports that some called the proposal a power purchase agreement, while others argued that it amounted to a coal plant bailout.
Andy Chow reports

A closely-watched state Supreme Court decision last week limits what communities can do to regulate oil and gas development.

While the court ruling directly addressed only one city’s rules, it’s expected to have a ripple effect across the state. In Mansfield, a company proposed putting a wastewater disposal well in an industrial park.

The move spurred the city to adopt strict rules governing that kind of activity. Mansfield’s law director, John Spon, says the court decision won’t deter Mansfield from trying to protect its interests.
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Bullying is a bigger problem in Northeast Ohio than in the nation as a whole. It happens more often and it's reported less frequently. Our region has also been rocked by the suicides of bullying victims who saw no other way out. In this series, Mean Kids, WKSU's Vivian Goodman takes a closer look at the bullies, their targets and their weapons, as well as the tools Northeast Ohio is using to fight the problem.

At the time of the events, WKSU reporters caught many of the key developments leading up to the shooting, the day of the tragedy and of the aftermath. The original audio, as well as photographs, reports and other text, has been gathered on a special web site: kentstate1970.org.

On May 4th, 1970, Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on Kent State students protesting the invasion of Cambodia, the escalation of the Vietnam War - and the presence of the guard on campus.
Four students died; nine were wounded.
The scene became an icon for the Baby Boom generation. And this year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, as a site that contributed significantly to the understanding of the nation's history and culture.
But for many, the history is not national. It's personal. And while it's fading out of many textbooks and memories, it's fresh in the lives of many others. WKSU is taking a look at the personal stories and larger lessons that grew from May 4, 1970.

The WKSU newsroom dove into the murky waters of the current employment situation in Northeast Ohio with the 8-part series Good Jobs in Bad Times. With their reports, the award-winning news staff covered topics that include high-paying tech jobs, careers that don't need a 4-year degree, the re-growth of agriculture as industry, working part-time full-time, drastically changing career paths, the truth about healthcare, bridge jobs after graduation and the future of the NE Ohio employment outlook.